Taking their name from a universally recognised classic CCR song and signing to the not so universally recognised musical magpie Noel Gallagher’s Sour Mash record label, propelled Proud Mary into the glare and blare of the rock & roll rollercoaster lifestyle. Picking up destructive drug habits along with stellar support touring slots and colliding with ever diminishing album returns accelerated a disappearing act to vanishing point…almost.

Returning from a seven-year hiatus with an album recorded in Santa Catalina, Mallorca has produced a mostly languid Americana styling with rockabilly/psych overtones of audio catharsis which works well in most parts but doesn’t quite round up into a perfect whole.

Opener Easy Tiger trolls a John Lennon blues vibe with impressive vocals and smartly wears its influences loud and very proud. And the sparse bluesy grit continues on Wonderland with the band asserting a tight grip on a stomping Keep It Moving where Hani Abbasi demonstrates tight drumming impressively locking in with Paul Newsome’s riffing guitar.

Things become more interesting and tastier on the countrified nature of Blew It All Away and Meet Me In The Morning where Greg Griffin excels in the vocal department and the folk-some Oxwich Bay rounds off a peripatetic variety of songs on a mostly impressive return.

Words: Paul Davies

About The Author

I began my career in journalism at the now defunct, pre-digital Smash Hits magazine, which was situated in London's Carnaby Street. After learning the ropes, I washed up at Vox Magazine, essentially the NME'S monthly magazine, as the Internet arrived into our lives. Thereon, I eventually graduated onto Q Magazine when people still treasured the magazine that they bought. My journalistic career since has been on newspapers at The Times, The Independent/i newspaper, Daily & Sunday Express and, ofcourse, National Rock Review.